Stormy Misery
by ilovecats86
Summary: AkuRoku Day special! When it's cold and wet outside, find somewhere warm ... or don't listen to your twin when he begs you to help him out there.


_For AkuRoku Day. Not much to say about this, except me and my friends a long time ago (I think around October) were working a marathon and it never stopped raining. That's unusual for here - we don't get much rain, even in fall. Apparently, that was the first year it had actually RAINED, and then rained the whole 6-8 hours.  
A WARM FIRE IS HEAVEN AFTER BEING IN COLD, WET RAIN FOR PROLONGED PERIODS OF TIME._

**Stormy Misery**

"Heeeeeyy … Roxas?"

The blonde turned to see his brunet twin shuffling toward him – With. That. Damn. Grin. It was _THE_ grin. The shy one that endeared Sora. And could make you do anything. "Yeeeeeeess?" he asked carefully.

Sora beamed. Step TWO of Sora's irresistablity strategy. (But then, Roxas wasn't sure if Sora really knew of his irresistability, so could he really call it a "strategy"? … Yes. Yes he could. Easily.) "Will you help with the marathon on Sunday? We're always looking for more people … and it would really mean a lot! Please?" Aaand the pleading eyes. Final step. And an almost- guarantee that Roxas or almost anyone else would say yes. Whatever "yes" meant. How could Roxas say no?

Weakly, that's how. Still, in the feeble voice he could muster against those looks with Sora, he answered, "Sora, I'm not a morning person …"

"**PLEASE**! Please, Roxas, we **really** need your help! Please?!" With the desperate expression and **begging** tone on top of his problems to resist already? Roxas couldn't bring himself to deny Sora.

"… O …. kay…." Roxas's approval was met with a sudden glomp from his twin.

"THANKYOU THANKYOU THANKYOU!! Roxas, I owe you one, THANK YOU!!" Roxas patted his brother awkwardly on the back, struggling to stay upright against Sora's weight, all the while feeling a grin tug at his face.

_I_. _AM. AN. IDIOT,_ Roxas thought as he found his knees no longer bending. _Why__ did I let Sora talk me into this? … Oh right. I'm an idiot. That's why._ He sighed, walking straight-legged from the cold. He'd been out in the wind and rain since about 4:50 A.M. And it had been raining since the beginning. The first bit, of course, was okay – indecently early and nipping at his face, but okay. But slowly, through hours of cold and rain, and nothing but a sweatshirt to keep him dry since the cloth hat he'd been wearing had fallen in a puddle, he was soaked at 8 A.M. With another 3 hours to go. And now because of the cold, his knees weren't bending. And he couldn't feel his feet. And so far he'd dropped three cups from not feeling his fingers

The runners appreciated it though. But he was seriously getting to where he couldn't really move or bend most of his joints. After some slaps from Namine to his hands, he could feel a slight tingling again now at 9. _Just two more hours_, he told himself. _Two more hours_. Finally he abandoned the stream of people holding out water, the energy drink, and the electrolight cubes in favor of lunch. He was able to open the backpack and even the first plastic bag (with severe difficulty) open despite having clumsy wood-for-all-he-could-feel fingers. And after more wrestling and working, managed to get his ham sandwich out. His small sandwich only, none of the rest of the lunch he'd been banking on while making his sandwich so small.

A couple grudging hours later, they were told the buses were on their way, much to everyone's relief. Unfortunately, said buses weren't there half an hour later, and a scout confirmed that between the meeting spot and their station there were no buses. Disgruntled, the tired, cold, hungry, and wet group trudged back – where there wasn't even a sign-out sheet to verify they couldn't have just gone home from where they were. Which Roxas STILL needed to do.

Twenty minutes later, at around noon, he stumbled with the key and lock on the door. Finally getting said lock to open, the blonde tiredly tripped inside, pulling off his shoes as he did. A small waterfall came from both, which Roxas dully noted he'd have to clean up later as he peeled away soaked socks to reveal ghostly, shriveled feet. Sighing, he trudged intothe living room, surprised to see Axel on the couch.

Turning, the tall redhead grinned and said, "Well, look what the cat dragged in. You jump in a pool or somethin'?"

Roxas glared as he scathingly replied, "YOU say no to Sora, and tell me you don't feel sick with guilt – a … ahh-a-CHOO!"

Axel grinned slightly as he said gently, "Looks like NOT saying no got you sick with something else."

Sniffling, Roxas shook his head. "Nah, notta cold. Just when I'm cold my nose runs and makes me sneeze ... I think," he said nasally.

"Either way," Axel rose from the couch and crossed the living room to the blonde, "I need to warm you up." Roxas gasped as his soaked shirt and pants came away and he was pressed to Axel's warm (but clothed) chest. He clang to Axel's neck in a desperate attempt to secure himself, eyes never leaving the ground, which was now a good six feet away.

Axel smirked. Roxas was cute when he was scared, and small things like this was when it was something trivial that he latched onto him for fear.

Reaching the bathroom, Axel had to hold the blonde tighter with his right arm as he loosened his left to open and close the door.

"A-Axel, you can put me down now!" Roxas said.

"I could, but you'd still be cold." So Roxas still against his chest, Axel turned on the water and waited for it to warm. Satisfied with its heat finally, he stripped Roxas down of his sopping boxers and sat him in the shower before slipping out of his own clothes and getting in himself.

"Axel, I _can_ take a shower on my own," the blonde stated crossly.

"Does that mean you don't want me here?" Axel put on a pout, and Roxas felt his faux diginity-preserving anger disappear. Axel spared Roxas too much humiliation of trying to take his words back. "Besides, your feet are so numb, I don't quite trust them to support you. Safer to have someone to catch you if you DO fall."

A part of Roxas knew Axel was just helping cover for him, but it was a long day. He was more occupied in living as if the façade was real, and answered, "Well, okay, since I can't quite stand anymore …"

Axel grinned, climbing in the shower and pulling the curtain back.

Roxas soon learned something. When your feet or hands, or even limbs get cold to the point of numbness or pain, warm water often starts out feeling seeringly white-hot. Axel noticed this, and lifted him out of the water-flow, wrapping warm hands around the younger's feet. Warmer-than-usual human flesh was easier. Roxas was tired. He was cold and tired, and with Axel pressing him against his chest and warming him up in the small, steam-filled area, he felt his eyes getting heavier and heavier.

Axel was trustworthy enough in the shower … right? He wouldn't stimulate his body while he was naked with him in the shower and asleep … hopefully … because either way, he couldn't stay awake. And he was too exhausted to even talk now. Dear God, please don't let him wake up sore inside and exhausted from stimulation. PLEASE.

Axel felt Roxas getting heavier. Falling asleep? Poor Roxas … he was absolutely adorable in his arms, exhausted and trusting. Axel gave the blonde's forehead a lippy kiss, warming the small body with a combination of his own body heat, the steam surrounding them, and small bits of the hot water, which mostly ran freely, hitting only Axel's feet and his back when he stepped backwards. Roxas was too cute, too innocent, too tired to make him perform now – Axel couldn't bring himself to agitate the thin chest or around his hips. Another time when he hadn't already been abused by fatigue and the elements, maybe. Quite possibly, actually. But Roxas was just too worn right now – so Axel finished the shower, holding his blond charge football-style to wash him while still holding him.

Ten minutes later found the duo in Roxas's bedroom, the younger still snuggled into the older's chest until Axel shook him gently awake. "Sunshine, time to wake up," he sang softly. Roxas's bleary blue eyes opened, and he was presented with a pair of fuzzy pajamas – a pair he had denied ever owning, as they were decked out in ice cream and cherries. Blushing lightly, he pulled the warm garments on, ignoring the light smirk on the other's face. He burried his head in Axel's chest again … realizing after a moment that he too was already in pajamas. Axel … felt so warm and wonderful.… He was asleep again within a couple seconds.

Axel chuckled and rocked his boyfriend slightly. In response, Roxas snuggled deeper and smiled gently in his sleep. Continuing the slow, soothing rock, Axel made it to the bed, and pulled both of them under the covers. Sora would be at Riku's, and Axel didn't exactly feel like leaving Roxas alone right now.

He could live with just watching Roxas sleep for a few hours.


End file.
